i have no idea what the freetard movement is. Some of what Dwayne pays for is described by Chris Anderson as part of the new world of "Free". So, beats me what Dwayne means by freetards.
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On the clever end of things, 'freetards' are people who insist upon a strict adherence to FOSS ideas. On the broader, less self-consciously ideological end, freetards are people who demand that media (especially music, for some reason) should always be available at zero cost via the Internet.
To such people (the latter type), no type of payment scheme is acceptable; even iTunes is too onerous.
shag also wrote:
Dwayne, your buddy, the millionaire, who you sent my way, asked me to work for free - to run -- I shit you not -- his entire business on spec. He wanted me to do every single bit of work, from web site production to shipping the book, for the same dealio Apple gives musicians - only worse. He was going to take a lot more than 30%. He's not an anomaly. He's not a freetard (whatever that means). He is *normal*. He is normal for the reasons I outlined, because to behave like that is encouraged in the bones of capitalism.
You don't think so. *shrug*
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Actually, I do think so.
No one here will argue against the statement: 'capitalists try to get as much for as little as possible.'
And you're right, he's not a freetard, just a normal business person operating according to current SOP. (A cheap ass, nonetheless.)
So we've been arguing at cross purposes. I'm addressing the notion that there's a pool of people unwilling to pay for the stuff they get online because of a regrettable belief that entertainment should be free. I'm saying that this belief is being dismantled by the creation of various pay-wall mechanisms and the re-training of user expectations.
You're highlighting the flawed elements of Chris Anderson's ideas, among other points. I think that Anderson's enveloping of payment schemes into a broadly defined 'free economy' is goofy, obscuring more than it illuminates.
I think my confusion began when you used the phrase 'fuck you, pay me!' My point, in answer to this, is that lots of people are already paying in good faith but the background mechanisms are working against bands (focusing on musicians, for example's sake) seeing their fair share - hence Prince's attempt to withdraw to comparatively more lucrative methods.
In this case, the issue isn't people's unwillingness to pay for a book for their Kindle or iPad or an album to burn or store on a portable...the issue is the capitalist SOP you mentioned.
.d.